Hi everyone sorry if this has been covered previously. im looking at buying 2012 ozone c4's was just wondering if it is possible to use 1 bar for all sizes. I read that there are 45 - 50 - 54 length bars. i am thinking of getting either 7m,10m & 13m quiver it would be great if you could use the same bar on all kites but the website suggests a 45cm bar for 7m kite 50 for 10m kite and 54cm bar for 13m kite. does it really matter?

Anyone else out there using C4'S? It would be great to hear some suggestions on quiver sizes as i am still trying to decide on weather to get 2 or 3 kites to cover the range. from the reviews i am gathering the low end is not the best and to get a slightly bigger kite to compensate. currently using 2010 Switchblade 10m

Thanks everyone

50cm bar for all of them!.....

Thats what i use and i have 13 edge, 10 c4 and 6 reo.

i've even shoehorned a 50cm ozone bar onto my 15m flysurfer speed 3....

ps my wind comfortable wind ranges for each of the above kites at 82pies.

13-25knots 13m edge
18-30 knots 10m c4
25-45knots 6m reo.

i find the c4 great in the middle range. punchy, lifty, fast, loopy, dynamic. Not much float, its a bit gutless for light wind so i go to the edge for raw grunt, upwind performance and gliding for ever in lighter winds. in storm conditions i find less depower and punchyness of the c4 an issue so i ride the reo which has an insane wind range and huge depower at the bar and obviously loves the waves that are cranking at my local in 30+ knots.

I use 5, 7 , 9 11 c4's, I find the bar size does make a big difference,,the 5 and 7 dont fly that great on the 50cm bar but the 9 is useless on the 45cm bar (havent and wouldnt use the 11 on the 45 bar) I wouldnt worry too much about the 13 needing a 55cm bar though, I used to have a catalyst 14 which flew just fine on the 50,,so I guess my advice would be with the quiver you are looking at to get the 45 and 50,, but if its strictly only one bar your going for go for the 50...Also how heavy are you, I find the larger C4's arent so great, I used to have a 12 but the low end was rubbish, I get more out of my 11 because of that little bit extra speed...my three kite choice would be 9,7,11 or two kite 7,11..But it all depends on your type of riding,,waves/freestyle??

Hi Tgcp and Plummet thanks so much for your advise.
i may actually consider getting an edge for the lighter wind days when im still itching to get on the water and stick to the small size for the c4.
i ride freestyle/wakestyle weight 85kg. i think the 7 and 11 might be a good option and maybe chuck in an edge for the lighter days. better check the bank first though

i only had a go in pretty light wind and found the 11m had similar pull to my 10m switchblade. what do you guys think of its depower in strong gusts and self landing? i kite alone most of the time and i still like to feel safe. Thats one of the reasons i went for a SB in the first place but now its getting boring im not good enough to loop it (and land)

Hi MrPapy,

I'm 78kg and ride 12m and 9m C4s. The bottom end is fine so long as you trim them correctly. If I can't get going on my 12 it's very light and if I can't hold my 9m, I'd rather be inside with a glass of red and a book.

At your weight a 7 will get very little use. 8, 10, 13 would be an awesome quiver for your weight in Melbourne. These would all run fine on the 50 cm bar but the 8m would be pretty fast.

The 2012 C4s are a significant refinement of what was already a mind-blowing kite (review coming soon). They are very responsive to edging and have a massive wind range. Self landing is easy and even if you have to flag it the stopper ball prevents bird's nests.

I'm at Brighton pretty often. If you see me there on yellow, red and black C4s hit me up for a spin. And feel free to post any questions here or via PM,

dojo

Select to expand quote

tgcp said...

I use 5, 7 , 9 11 c4's, I find the bar size does make a big difference,,the 5 and 7 dont fly that great on the 50cm bar but the 9 is useless on the 45cm bar (havent and wouldnt use the 11 on the 45 bar) I wouldnt worry too much about the 13 needing a 55cm bar though, I used to have a catalyst 14 which flew just fine on the 50,,so I guess my advice would be with the quiver you are looking at to get the 45 and 50,, but if its strictly only one bar your going for go for the 50...Also how heavy are you, I find the larger C4's arent so great, I used to have a 12 but the low end was rubbish, I get more out of my 11 because of that little bit extra speed...my three kite choice would be 9,7,11 or two kite 7,11..But it all depends on your type of riding,,waves/freestyle??

This years 12 is a big improvement over the 2010, and more incremental but still better bottom end than the 2011, with an similar top end.
The 12M and 10M C4's are my favourites this year.
You are spot on with your bar size advice and the recommended size for an 8 is the 50cm anyway, but it can be flown on the 45cm no worries.

I'm kind of lining myself up for a new quiver, and it'll probably be between C4's or Parks. Not tried either, so will be looking to jump on both at some point.

Some of the comments above got me thinking- do many ppl have different kites/ brands for different conditions? It'd pay I guess to have same kite/ bar in x sizes to suit all conditions, but seeing as some kites apparently fare better in light wind/ fully-lit conditions and nuking conditions, how many folk have for instance the (allegedly), best kite with low end, the best kite for storms and the best in the good bit in-between?

went from 10m switchblade to c4's as well. Absolutely loving them!!! At first i thought the low end was **** but it just a matter of actually learning how to fly a kite. I get about the same bottom end from a 11m c4 as i did from my 10m switchblade.

I weigh 72kgs and got a 7,9 & 11 and now fly them all off the 45cm bar even though i have two 50cm bars as well. I only do this though as I prefer freestyle and prefer a slightly slower moving kite. No problems with the 45cm bar on all of them other than a little bit more bar pressure on the 11m as it requires slightly more input on a lighter day. The 9m works just fine on the 45cm bar and i reckon the 50cm bar on the 9m is unnecessary.

The c4's are quite a bit different compared to the switches. I actually was very close to not buying them after the demo as I hated the low end but you will soon learn to milk it:) Stick with it and you will love these kites. They get better with every session.

at your weight i reckon 8, 10 & 12 or 8 & 12


self landing is easy and depower is fine. You will learn to edge slightly more but this kite will make you a better kiter in the long run

I am 83kg and have the 2012 C4's in a 8,10 and 12m. I use 50cm bars on all of them no probs.
At your weight I don't think you would get much use out of a 7m, been in WA the last couple of weeks and have held the 8m down fine in 30knots.

Select to expand quote

pomE said...

I'm kind of lining myself up for a new quiver, and it'll probably be between C4's or Parks. Not tried either, so will be looking to jump on both at some point.

Some of the comments above got me thinking- do many ppl have different kites/ brands for different conditions? It'd pay I guess to have same kite/ bar in x sizes to suit all conditions, but seeing as some kites apparently fare better in light wind/ fully-lit conditions and nuking conditions, how many folk have for instance the (allegedly), best kite with low end, the best kite for storms and the best in the good bit in-between?

i think sticking to one brand is ideal then you do not need to change your process to pull safeties ect.

My style is to change kite types for more appropriate kite for the conditions. For me i think i get the best of both worlds by changing from edge/c4/reo. But there is one draw back. Each style of kite requires a different technique. in particular the change in flying style between edge and c4 is huge. Most people prefer to chose one type of kite and stick with it. At least the flying technique is the same.

I am 90kg and of low-intermediate skill level (just starting to ride toeside). I have a 2010 10m Switchie and a 2012 13m C4. I agree with most of the comments so far. I hated the low end of the C4 when I bought it and thought I had made a mistake, as the top end overlapped a bit with my Switchie, but I've learned how to get the most out of the C4, and that bottom end keeps dropping. Yesterday, I was staying upwind in a warm QLD (30 degrees) 17-19 knots, on a 136cm board.

I self-lauch and land off of an anchor but have also done some drift launches with the C4. I have found it to be a very stable kite, with great depower, light bar pressure and very quick turning for such a large kite.

I love the C4, and until we get something over 25knots, I'm afraid that the Switchie is going to be staying in the car...

C4's are awesome kites and have great top end however would not be my first choice if I lived in a light wind area.

I have never owned anything bigger than a 10m in WA and after buying a 9m C4 am finding I need a 11 or 12m now.

If you're running your C4 on the middle knot and want more bottom end, try the shortest knot on your rear lines. The foils are efficient enough that they can be sheeted in a long way before they stall, whilst still driving forwards.

The 2012s especially will produce usable power sheeted right in even whilst sining.

You may have to rim a bit to unhook, but maybe not. Their stall resistance is phenomenal.

Select to expand quote

djdojo said...

If you're running your C4 on the middle knot and want more bottom end, try the shortest knot on your rear lines. The foils are efficient enough that they can be sheeted in a long way before they stall, whilst still driving forwards.

The 2012s especially will produce usable power sheeted right in even whilst sining.

You may have to rim a bit to unhook, but maybe not. Their stall resistance is phenomenal.

Will you really get better low end with this combination??

I agree the c4 does not stall easily, but this seems like it would choke the kite off in really light breeze.

I've used my 13M c4 in 10-12 knots with a light wind TT and I'm 78kg. Got to sine a lot, and hard work, but can be done.

I will say that these kites fly in almost not wind at all, and reverse launch great. Last weekend I was kiting in 6-10 knots, but I was kiting on mostly ice and some snow (froze lake). No friction at all!! Good stuff

Sure, you don't want to choke the kite but yes, there are plenty of situations where you can sheet the kite harder and get more usable power, both in the downstroke when sining and for park-and-ride power. I'm only talking about one knot worth more than the factory settings, i.e. 5cm, which is easily undone with a bit of trim.

Try it and find out. Of course the C4s reward a deft touch on the bar. The 2012s will also tolerate and respond with power at a slightly higher angle of attack, which also helps maintaining lift right through the jump when boosting.

Humm... Intresteing. We get a lot a light wind around here, so I'll give it a go next summer when the lakes unfreeze, nothing to lose.

I ride the 7M, 10M and 13M 2011 c4s. My fav is the 10M.